Liberal Party of South Africa

The Liberal Party of South Africa was a liberal political party in South Africa that existed from 1953 to 1968. The Liberal Party was founded in Cape Town due to the belief that the United Party of South Africa was unable to achieve any liberal progress in the country, but it was comparatively conservative during the first half of its existence. The party sought to change the minds of the white electorate, and party members were detained by the right-wing government during the state of emergency in the 1960s. The party stood unequivocally for a democratic nonracial South Africa. In 1968, the party chose to disband rather than be forced underground by the government.